Learn from Others' Critical Mistakes
Posted by
Heather J.
A few friends of mine recently competed in the 2007 Boston Marathon, running for 26.2 miles in record-breakingly crappy weather. Luckily, the heavy rain had subsided by race morning, leaving them only with strong wind and cold temperatures to deal with. Most of my running partners still met their goal times, but one fella in particular had a disappointingly bad race. Typically a sub-three-hour marathoner and 1:20 half-marathoner, this friend was in prime shape to run another fast race. At Boston, he ran sensibly- he didn't start out too fast and adjusted his goal time a bit to compensate for the weather. But a few other "critical mistakes" put a deep dent in his plan, and he struggled to finish in just under 3:50. He learned from his errors, and so can you.
Mistake #1: At around mile two, he took a drink of the race-supplied sports drink, which was stronger and sweeter than what he was used to. A few minutes later, he started feeling sick. Lesson: Find out ahead of time what brand of sports drink your race is supplying, and practice drinking it on a few of your longer runs. Or, if you don't mind the extra weight of a water bottle, carry your own sports brew on race day.
Mistake #2: As the morning wore on, the temperatures dropped, and my friend's bare legs stiffened up, which slowed him down. Lesson: Dress appropriately. If you're traveling out of town to a marathon, pack cool- and warm-weather options so you won't be stuck without the right clothes. Anything can happen with mother nature. You can also wear light layers that can be easily shed if temperatures rise. Also, wear a hat. It's amazing how much one accessory helps keep your whole body warmer.
Learn from Others' Critical Mistakes
Posted by Heather J.
A few friends of mine recently competed in the 2007 Boston Marathon, running for 26.2 miles in record-breakingly crappy weather. Luckily, the heavy rain had subsided by race morning, leaving them only with strong wind and cold temperatures to deal with. Most of my running partners still met their goal times, but one fella in particular had a disappointingly bad race. Typically a sub-three-hour marathoner and 1:20 half-marathoner, this friend was in prime shape to run another fast race. At Boston, he ran sensibly- he didn't start out too fast and adjusted his goal time a bit to compensate for the weather. But a few other "critical mistakes" put a deep dent in his plan, and he struggled to finish in just under 3:50. He learned from his errors, and so can you.
Mistake #1: At around mile two, he took a drink of the race-supplied sports drink, which was stronger and sweeter than what he was used to. A few minutes later, he started feeling sick. Lesson: Find out ahead of time what brand of sports drink your race is supplying, and practice drinking it on a few of your longer runs. Or, if you don't mind the extra weight of a water bottle, carry your own sports brew on race day.
Mistake #2: As the morning wore on, the temperatures dropped, and my friend's bare legs stiffened up, which slowed him down. Lesson: Dress appropriately. If you're traveling out of town to a marathon, pack cool- and warm-weather options so you won't be stuck without the right clothes. Anything can happen with mother nature. You can also wear light layers that can be easily shed if temperatures rise. Also, wear a hat. It's amazing how much one accessory helps keep your whole body warmer.